Paris, July 11, 2022 - Governments have failed to date to adopt a strategic, long-term and properly resourced approach to prioritize the capacity development of civil society, according to a new report by Forus, a global network of civil society organisations representing over 22,000 NGOs across the globe. 

Since 2017, Forus has analyzed the way governments reference and include the capacity development of civil society, in their Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) which they submit to the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (UN HLPF). The purpose of the VNRs is to report on UN Member States implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their countries. 

Of the seventeen existing Goals, the latter one (known as SDG 17 with the headline « Partnerships for the Goals ») is the only one reviewed by the HLPF every year. One could think that this underlines the importance of meaningful partnerships and of the means of implementation to reach the Goals – which on paper includes capacity development for all stakeholders, including civil society organizations. However, there is still no sign that the majority of countries are serious about addressing the issue of capacity development, particularly where civil society is concerned. As noted in previous Forus reports on this topic, there is still no evidence of systematic and long-term efforts by governments to strengthen the capacities of civil society to enable it to better implement the sustainable development agenda. The data from the 2021 VNRs does not indicate any change in this regard. 

Forus and its members believe that there is an urgent need for a systemic global reform of the way in which capacity development is resourced and provided to key stakeholders for SDG monitoring and implementation, including civil society organizations everywhere. 

As countries receive decreasing levels of international aid, despite the growing challenges and rising inequalities that the world is facing today , civil society leaders are calling for a paradigm-shift. 

“The dependency on donor countries, including to fund capacity development, creates a power imbalance to the detriment of the aid recipients. In order to change the script, more power needs to go to the local level. On top of this, triangular as well as South-South cooperation on capacity development should be encouraged,” according to civil society leader, Mavalow Christelle Kalhoule, Forus Chair and  President of Spong, the NGO platform of Bukina Faso.  

“The main Achilles heel for the SDG implementation has been the dismal capacity enhancement of civil society organisations who are in direct touch with communities and if sufficiently supported, hold the key to faster development.   We therefore need creative and innovative financing mechanisms towards civil society capacity development to ensure that they are fit for purpose,” says Moses Isooba, Executive Director of the Uganda National NGO Forum, who contributed to the report. 

Several countries used their VNRs to call for greater capacity development in order to reduce the digital gap and meet the accelerating digitalization challenges resulting from the pandemic. The issue of gender inequality was also highlighted, while most 2021 VNRs presented data and outlined government actions and national policies implemented to tackle gender equality, little evidence was provided of capacity development programs aimed at developing the individual skills of women or organizational skills of women’s collectives. 

But the rubber needs to hit the road and Forus and its members are calling for a different approach to capacity development, one that fosters peer exchange and learning, ensures ownership and impact, and provides safe spaces to build collaborations.  

Between 2017 and 2022, Forus supported its national members to lead 60 capacity development projects, with the overarching aim of contributing to the production of knowledge by civil society. It provided the means and the space for civil society networks in different countries to work on a wide range of different issues and themes. 

According to Forus, where  capacity development is concerned, civil society organisations themselves should have the power to determine the different steps of the process. Furthermore, the power dynamics at play between donors and beneficiaries should be recognised and addressed. 

In addition, a new SDG 17-related global fund should be established to resource the capacity development needs of civil society and to overcome key funding obstacles currently faced by civil society organisations. 

Finally, given the wide-ranging and comprehensive nature of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and the many different institutions and service providers involved in the capacity development of civil society and other sectors at international, regional, national and local levels, Forus has called on the international community to streamline institutional responsibility for promoting, ensuring and monitoring SDG-related capacity development for different stakeholder groups. 

For media enquiries or interview requests: 

• Forus International – Bibbi Abruzzini, [email protected], and Sanaa Nadir [email protected]